


Fostering Fate's Undoing

by Pasta_Potter



Category: Creepypasta - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Family, Fluff and Angst, Happy Murder Family, Murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:14:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23276134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pasta_Potter/pseuds/Pasta_Potter
Summary: Freak Dursley didn't even know his own name. He did know that he didn't like the Dursley's. And he did know that the boy with the goggles and hatchets was probably here to kill them. Maybe, if Freak helped, the boy with the goggles and the hatchets would take him away too.
Comments: 28
Kudos: 348





	1. My Name is Freak

**Author's Note:**

> So. First fic. Suggestions are welcome. Grammar or typo corrections would be awesome. Flames will be given to Toby.

There was a soft click as the back door unlocked. A low creak as it opened. The four year old in the cupboard stopped breathing as footsteps entered the house and made their way past. He started breathing again as the footsteps went up the stairs.

Now a four year old in a cupboard wouldn't have been unusual if this occurrence had been during the day in a game of hide-and-seek. This was neither the morning, nor a game. The boy slowly pushed open the door of his cupboard that his aunt had left unlocked the previous night. Perhaps, if he'd known that the person who had come through the back door was a murderer, he might have just stayed put. Maybe. 

* * *

Toby stared incredulously at his sleeping targets. Kill the Dursley family, Slender said, they're tipping the balance rather spectacularly Slendy said. Now that Toby was actually here, it was rather difficult to see how. They seemed normal, if disproportionate. The wife Dursley was thin as a rake, the husband the size of a small whale. Nonetheless, what Slendy said goes. Toby raised his hatchets high prepared to plunge them into the fat pig on the bed.

"Are you going to kill them?" Toby just barely bit back a shriek as he spun around. There was now a truly small child standing in the doorway. He looked maybe two years old and the most distinctive about him was the absolute mop of dark hair over his eyes.

"Yes. Y-yes, I am going to kill them. Where the fuck did you come f-from?" The child's head tilted slowly to the side.

"My cupboard. Can I watch?" Toby stared at the kid incredulously. 

"Your cupboard. Ok. Fine. Yeah, kid, whatever. W-watch if you want to. We'll talk about the whole cupboard thing later." With that Toby slowly turned his back to the tiny kid and stood for a moment at the husband's side of the bed before shaking off his confusion and slamming both of his hatchets into the husband's neck. His eyes didn't even fully open before Toby had wrenched his hatchets out and slammed them back down again. With a quiet squelching crunch the now detached head slowly slipped to the side and rolled off the bed. The kid let out a giggle as the head rolled over twice before seeming to stare upwards. Toby snorted at the kid.

"L-like that, did you?" The kid, and _god_ did Toby need to get his name, giggled again before his eyes flicked up to Toby and back to the bed. As Toby watched the kid's eyes widened and his smile dropped before he spun on one foot and ran, somewhat poorly with a pronounced limp, out of the room. Toby turned back to the bed as a strangled scream burst from the woman. 

"Aww. What'd you have to s-scare the kid for? I liked him," as Toby raised his hatchets again the kid skidded back into the room. 

"Oh, hey, what've you got there?" The kid was back and holding two kitchen knives carefully by the handles as he grinned at Toby. 

"Can I help?" Toby blinked. His wrist twitched twice before he slammed his hatchet into the woman's shoulder. 

"Really like this k-kid," Toby informed the horrified woman in the bed, "Yeah, kid, you can help. Just lemme go kill the brat real quick." Toby slipped into a room down the hall that the miniature whale slept in. Hatchet in the neck, kid choking on his blood, check, and check. And back to the master bedroom Toby went.

"Alright. Here's what's going to happen kid. Bring those knives-s over." The whimpering woman scrambled back on the bed as Toby approached. She was in shock. Adorable. The kid set the kitchen knives on the bed, and really, how had he been able to get those. Sharp knives really shouldn't be in reach of a tiny kid. 

"What are you doing? Who are you?," the woman's shrieking was grating and Toby cringed behind his mask. The woman hadn't even noticed the kid yet either, and really, her situational awareness was shit. Toby stepped to the side and turned slightly to lift the kid up onto the bed. The woman's expression hardened immediately. 

"Ungrateful brat!" She kicked at the kid viciously and Toby grabbed her foot, snapping her ankle with one movement. The resultant scream was like nails on a chalkboard and Toby grimaced. The kid looked at Toby and Toby looked at the kid.

"Ok. Let's start. Here's what's going to h-happen. I'll help you stab her. Do you want her to die s-slow or quick?"

"Quick-ish," was the immediate answer and Toby nodded. 

"Alrighty. Here's one of the places that's really good for that." And Toby guided the kid's hands holding the knife.

* * *

An hour later Toby had carried the now very blood splattered kid on his hip as they made their way out of the house. They now sat on a bench in the park nearby, the kid cuddling into Toby for warmth.

"So, kid, what's your name because I'm f-fairly certain that I'm keeping you. That was awesome," Toby looked at the kid who was still grinning, "We'll make it-t a proper introduction too. Hi, I'm Toby Rogers. You can call me Toby." The kid glanced up, and grinned a bloody smile away Toby. 

"Freak. Freak Dursley. It's nice to meet you." Toby's smile froze. Toby yanked his facemask off and stuffed it in his pocket and pushed his goggles up as he flipped around to stare at the kid.

"Th-that's not a name. That is _not_ a name! That's an insult! Why do you think that's your name?"The kid stared at Toby. 

"That's what Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon and Dudley call me." Toby stared back horrified. 

"Do they call you anything else?" 

"Yeah."

"What? What else did they call you?" Toby felt the urge to go murder the Dursley family again. 

"Freak, brat, boy, burden. Um. Sometimes wretched nuisance? Are those names?" Toby's urge to murder intensified. 

"No. They're not. Do you want to pick your own name?"

"Could I be Toby too?" Toby snorted.

"No, pr-probably best not. You need your own name. You could probably keep Rogers though, if you wanted. Here, there's-s, like, baby name websites and shit. I'll just look one up or something." As Toby pulled out his phone the kid began looking introspective. 

"Um, alright, so there's a lot of names on here. Uh, I'll just, like, list them or something. Um, Liam, Noah, William, James, Oliver, uh, we're going to skip B-benjamin, Elijah, Lucas, Mas-"

"Jazz"

"-on, Logan, hang on, what?" Toby looked up from his phone at the kid. 

"Jazz. I like Jazz." Toby blinked and cocked his head. 

"Yeah, alright. I like it. You k-keeping Rogers or you going to choose your own last name?"

The kid-Jazz, his name was Jazz, seemed to consider it a moment. 

"Keeping it. Jazz Rogers. Jazz. I like it." Toby grinned.

"Its cool. Good name. Are you going to pick a m-middle name?" The newly dubbed Jazz looked mildly panicked. 

"Middle name?"

"Yeah. Most people jus-st say a first and last name. You know, Toby Rogers, Jazz Rogers, Vernon Dursley, kinda like that. But I think everyone has a middle name. Mine is Erin. Tobias Erin Rogers. Its-s pretentious. I like Toby much better." Jazz processed this quietly. 

"Oh. Could I have a girl's name?" Toby blinked.

"Um, sure. I don't r-really see why not. Do you have one in mind?"

"Not really. What was your mom's name?" Toby sucked in a startled breath. That hadn't been what he was expecting. 

"My mom's name?", Jazz nodded and Toby winced, "Ok. Um, my mom's name is C-connie. I'm not sure it fits-s you though." Jazz ducked his head frowning, and Toby looked mildly panicked. 

"Oh."

"L-let me finish! My sister however, was my favorite person in the world. Her name would fit you a lot better if you like it. Her n-name was Lyra." Jazz's entire being brightened.

"I like it! I really, really like it! Can I really keep it?" Jazz was bouncing a little in place, and Toby grinned at him. 

"You really, really c-can! You know, you're kinda g-good at talking for, like, a t-two year old." Jazz frowned severely at him, and Toby had to stifle a laugh at how cute it was on his tiny face.

"I'm four years old. Not two," straightening up proudly, Jazz continued, "I'm old enough to mow the lawn _and_ use the stove on my own." Toby grimaced again.

"N-No. No, you're really not-t. And on that note, let's go back to the part where you said you came from your c-cupboard-d." Toby's twitches were getting increasingly worse and he clutched the bench beneath him in an effort to hold still. 

"I sleep in the cupboard under the stairs," he grinned and Toby's heart sank a little, "I even have three pet spiders that live in there with me! Their names are George, Lucy, and Apples. Aunt Petunia forgot to lock my cupboard last night, so I could leave and follow you." Jazz grinned happily at Toby and Toby stared back in complete and utter horror. 

"Lo-Lock your cupboard?" Jazz nodded, his legs swinging back and forth under the bench as he stared in awe at the sky.

"Usually Aunt Petunia puts me in my cupboard and locks the cupboard door, but Uncle Vernon was hitting me a bunch last night cuz I hadn't finished vacuuming and he put me in my cupboard and he didn't lock the door and Aunt Petunia didn't really check. So my door wasn't locked last night!" Jazz finished his diatribe cheerfully and Toby almost wanted to scream.

"S-so your uncle hits you?", Jazz nodded, "A-and are you hurt? Anyth-thing broken?" Jazz looked confused. 

"I don't know. How do you tell?" Toby stared at him. 

"Just-no. No. W-we're going to the hospital. I'm taking you to the hospital. Th-thats not good."

"I'm not supposed to go to the hospital. Aunt Petunia said that freaks don't get to see doctors." Toby sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He wondered absently if this was how Masky felt all the time. 

"That's n-not true. D-doctors treat anyone who needs it. J-jazz? I need you to do me a favor." Jazz glanced at him with wary green eyes.

"I guess so? What is it?" Toby looked Jazz in the eyes, tipping his chin back up when he tried to look away. 

"Don't listen to your Aunt Petunia. Anything th-that she's said to you? Assume it was a lie and ask me. Alright?", Jazz nodded and Toby clapped as he stood up. "Alright. C'mon, arms up. We're going to th-the hospital. C'mon." Toby picked up Jazz and swung him onto his hip before walking out of the park, sirens sounding distantly.

"It's starting to rain."

"Yup. That's a good thing. Washes the bl-blood away. Easier to not get arrested."

"Oh. Cool! Do you have a house? You said you were keeping me, will I live with you?" Toby grinned happily.

"Oh, you betcha. A-and it's not a house it's a mansion, and other people would be there too. You go-good with that?" Toby hugged the boy closer to his side. 

"Yeah. I'm ok with more people. What's a mansion?" Toby threw his head back and laughed into the rain.

  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Queen Jazz of the Waffle Glue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jazz meets the Mansion. Masky is more concerned that ever about Toby's sanity. Or, lack thereof.

Masky stood on the porch with a cigarette leaning on the rail. Hoodie was leaning against the door watching him in amusement. There was a loud crash, a short scream, and the sound of running inside the house, and Masky sighed deeply and took a deeper drag of his cigarette. Hoodie snorted at him before heading inside to handle whatever or whoever had broken. 

As Masky stared out at the forest in an attempt to temporarily ignore the chaos behind him, something caught his eye. There was something moving in the woods. No, no, there was someone in the woods. Specifically, Toby. Toby must have finally completed his job. And really, five days was both a record for Toby, and very excessive. Masky squinted at him, trying to see if he had any injuries. Toby didn't appear to have any injuries. That was probably good.

Toby did have a child attached like a limpet to his side. A toddler-sized, black haired, very much alive, child.

Masky turned on his heel and went back ini He hadn't had enough coffee for this. And he wasn't drunk enough either. Hoodie or Slender could deal with it.

* * *

Toby trudged up the mansion steps feeling a bit like a single mother. Jazz had  _ finally _ fallen asleep. It had taken two days for that to happen for longer than two hours and Toby was utterly exhausted. He reached the door and grabbed the handle. And fumbled it. Wonderful. Toby glared blankly at the door handle before clumsily trying again. 

Thankfully, this time it worked and Toby stepped into the mansion kicking the door shut behind him. He didn't check to see if the door had shut all the way, because at that moment Jazz had started listing slowly to the side and the backpack with Jazz's new stuff started to slip off his shoulder. Toby just barely managed to correct both Jazz and the backpack without dropping either, and just stood there for a moment in silent defeat.

Readjusting his grip on his passenger, Toby started towards the stairs to go up to his room. He desperately hoped that no one would be in the den where the base of the stairs sat, because he had not gotten enough sleep to explain anything. 

The second Toby stepped into the room, he knew that his hope had been a fool's desperate wish. As he entered the room the many eyes of what had to be everyone in the mansion turned to Toby.

"Hi." Toby blinked at himself in silent astonishment. He sounded awful. EJ began to look slightly concerned and Toby realized that he was swaying slightly. 

"Are you injured?" Masky's tone was flat and unamused, and Toby winced.

"N-nope. I'm not injured. Kinda exhausted though, so I'll just head up-p." Toby began edging his way towards the stairs, not taking his eyes off of Masky as if he was a dangerous viper that would strike the second he turned his back. Toby mused inwardly at his own thoughts. Jeez, he was tired.

"Don't move another inch. Are you sure? No concussions or brain damage that might cause you to, oh, I don't know, bring a random kid back?" Toby froze and winced again, shaking his head in the negative. Masky's tone was absolutely icy and Toby looked away and scanned the rest of the room. LJ was dissolved in silent laughter. Helen, Jeff, and Liu looked bored. EJ was still eyeing Toby like he was going to fall over. Which he totally might. Just to be fair. Puppeteer, Hoodie, and BEN looked absolutely fascinated by the goings on. Toby seemed to be the evening entertainment now.

"Toby, I'm being serious. Why do you have a kid?" Toby shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. 

"U-um. He's my kid. I'm keeping him. His name is Jazz. And I seriously-y haven't slept in literal days so if we could m-maybe do this in the morning?" Masky's lips thinned and he shook his head firmly and pointed sharply at the couch. As Toby moved to sit down, Slenderman stepped out of the shadows in the corner and all attention turned to him.

**_"Masky, Hoodie, go set up the empty room next to Tobias' own for the child. I suspect the child will be staying. Tobias, wake the child. I wish to speak with him before you both go to sleep."_ ** Jeff snickered in the background as Masky and Hoodie moved towards the stairs. Toby started gently shaking Jazz and ruffling his hair in order to wake him up, sitting down on the couch in the process. 

"Is it morning already, Toby? Do I really havta wake up?" Jazz dug his face into Toby's shoulder. 

"You o-only have to be awake for a bit. My boss wants to talk to y-you. You think you could wake up just enough to answer a f-few questions?" Jazz groaned quietly and pushed up enough to twist around to face the room, seeming to be barely keeping his eyes open.

"Hi. I'm Fre-Jazz. I'm Jazz." Jazz yawned wide and flumped back onto Toby staring blearily at the Slenderman. 

**_"Hello child. Do you know who I am?"_ **

"Jack Skellington. From Halloween town. The suit gives it away." Jazz said this with such confidence, even punctuating his point with a firm little nod, that the entire room was stunned silent for a moment by his utter conviction. The silence was promptly broken by Toby snickering and LJ cackling.

**_"...No. No, that is incorrect. I am called Slenderman. I am occasionally referred to as the operator, and you will hear many of the occupants of the mansion call me Slender or Slendy. I am in no way Jack Skellington."_ ** Jazz pouted for a moment looking utterly dejected. 

"Does that mean I can't mean I can't meet the anyone from the song?" Toby side eyed Slendy as LJ started laughing harder than before.

**_"... Child, I have absolutely no idea what you are referring to."_ ** LJ practically tipped over onto Jeff with the force of his laughter and Jazz eyed him carefully. 

"Is he ok?" Toby nodded and Jazz reluctantly returned his attention to Slenderman, "You know, the Halloween song." Jazz began singing softly,

"This is Halloween, Everybody make a scene, 

Trick or treat till the neighbors go and die of fright, It's our town, Everybody scream, 

In this Town of Halloween. 

I am the one hiding under your bed, 

Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red.

I am the one hiding under your stairs, 

Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair."

Jeff was now cackling along with LJ and Helen was snickering quietly. 

**_"As far as I am aware, Halloween Town does not exist. You sound more disappointed by this than I had thought you would be."_ ** Jazz nodded sadly, seemingly about to cry, and clearly still very overtired and overwhelmed. 

"I wa-wanted to meet-t the person wi-with fingers like snakes a-and spiders in hi-his hair. W-we both lived-d in the cupboard under th-the stairs. I-I-I just wanted to ask him i-if he named his-s spiders t-too!" Jeff and LJ both slowly stopped laughing and Helen looked up with narrowed eyes.

"That-", Masky drawled, "was not what I expected to walk in to hear. Slendy, you made the kid cry." Slendy looked at him and Masky lost his casual posture. 

"Right. So the empty room next to Toby's is unlocked and dusted, but Hoodie and I tried to put sheets on the bed and Hoodie sat on it to get the corner on, and the bed collapsed. Like, the frame is broken and the mattress is busted. So the kids got a room but no bed."

**_"That is certainly fixable. Tomorrow. For now, Jazz will stay with Tobias. Tomorrow Jazz will be examined by Eyeless Jack, and shopping will be done for him in the afternoon. For now though, Tobias, Jazz, go to bed."_ ** Toby nodded and picked the sleepy, somewhat fussy, Jazz up to go upstairs.

* * *

Toby was woken up the next morning to the highly unique experience of a hyper child jumping on top of him. His only reaction was to roll over and attempt to go back to sleep.

"Toby! Toby! Toby! Get up, get up,  _ get up _ ! It's a new place and I get to meet new people and I'm hungry and get up already!" Toby sat up and looked at the clock. 5:52. Way too early. Toby got out of bed, shuffled unsteadily over to the discarded backpack and dug out one of the t-shirts and jeans Jazz's size and tossed them at the bed.

"Right. Get dressed." And with that Toby dug around more in the bag and pulled out a paper parcel. Turning back to the bed he saw that Jazz was dressed. "Alright. Here. Got it for you yesterday and forgot to give it to you." Toby sat next to Jazz and watched as the kid unwrapped the gift to reveal a stuffed black dog.

"Wow. Wow! He's for me? Like really for me?" Toby grinned at him.

"Yup. You get to name him your-rself and everything." Jazz stared at the toy, turning it this way and that way before hugging it hard. 

"Padfoot. His name is Padfoot. And I really get to keep him forever and ever?" Toby grinned and ruffled his hair.

"Really. F-forever and ever. And good name by the way. Now come on arms up." Toby picked up Jazz and started down the hall. 

"Where are we going?" Jazz was switching his gaze between the stairs rapidly disappearing behind them and the hallway ahead. 

"Breakfast isn't for a few hours and I need some more sleep-p so you get to meet someone a little early. She's usually up about n-now anyways, just supposed to play quietly in her room." Jazz opened his mouth to ask another question but ended up snapping his mouth shut again as Toby stopped and knocked on a door. Jazz wasn't entirely certain who he had expected to be behind the door, but the little girl with long brown hair who was, had certainly been unexpected. 

"H-hey, Sals. Could you do me a small favor?"

The girl grinned at him.

"Sure. Hi Toby. Who's that?" Jazz waved shyly at her.

"This is Jazz. Jazz, this is Sally. Sally, would you m-mind if Jazz stayed with you for a while and played with you? I-I'll pick him up before breakfast, b-but I need more sleep and Jazz could use a friend." Sally nodded happily grinning at both Toby and Jazz. Toby grinned back at her and moved into the room to set Jazz down. 

"Thanks Sally. Ok, Jazz be good. B-both of you be good, Jazz, if you need me I'm a few doors down, ask Sally which one if you're not sure. I'll come back around seven thirty or eight to take you down to breakfast. Alright? You both good?" Sally giggled and nodded and Jazz hugged Toby around his neck quickly before Toby stood up.

"I'll be okay Toby. Sally's looks really nice, and you're still here, sort of. And Uncle Vernon can't hit me anymore neither!" Toby frowned slightly but relented after hugging Jazz back.

"Alright. I'll be j-just down the hall if you need me. Play nice." Toby left the room, but stood outside the door for a minute listening. 

"Your uncle hit you too?" Sally sounded upset and Toby wanted to make sure both were settled before he went back to sleep.

"Uh huh. My Aunt Petunia did too, but Uncle Vernon hit harder. But it's ok. Toby helped me kill them all." Jazz still sounded thrilled about this and Toby grinned for a moment.

"Ok. Do you want to play dolls or tea party?" Toby sighed in relief and went back to bed for a few hours.

  
  


* * *

A few hours later, Toby headed down the hall, passing Jeff on the way, to pick up Jazz. He knocked on the door before he opened and ducked inside. Before either of the kids noticed, he pulled out his phone and took a couple pictures of them. Sally was wearing a sleeping beauty dress and tiara and was directing Jazz in proper tea party etiquette. Jazz was dressed in an extremely poofy blue dress that fit him surprisingly well. Hoodie had gotten it for Sally, not realizing that it had been several sizes too small. There was a tiara perched in his hair, obviously meant for an adult's head, that still looked dwarfed by Jazz's vast amount of wild hair. His wrists were adorned with many hair bands acting as bracelets and he had a small cape on from when Sally had wanted to be batgirl for Halloween. There was a little neon green purse next to him and Padfoot was on his lap with his own tea cup. 

When Jazz noticed him by the door, he grabbed Padfoot in one arm and the purse in the other and, with two limping, steps threw himself at Toby. 

"Toby! Hi! I'm a queen! So is Sally! And we had a tea party, and Padfoot had tea too, and Sally said that I could keep the dress, and I'm really hungry, and the tea party didn't have any real tea but Sally said we could have another one with real tea with Masky and Hoodie later, and I haven't met Masky and Hoodie yet, and you were asleep for a long time, did you sleep good?" Toby exchanged a brief bewildered look with Sally before properly hoisting Jazz onto his hip, maneuvering around the dress.

"Wow. That was r-really fast. And a lot. That's very cool Jazz. You make a very pretty queen, Sally, you do too. We're heading down to breakfast now so you won't be hungry much l-longer. You can keep the dress just don't stain it. You'll meet everyone else, Masky and Hoodie included, at breakfast, and I slept-t very well, thank you. Did you have fun with Sally?" Toby had left Sally's room by now and he held the door open so Sally could duck under his arm, and run downstairs. Jazz nodded as Toby started towards the stairs himself. 

"Yeah. I had lots of fun. Sally's really nice. Can I play with your hair?" Toby blinked. 

"Sure." Toby rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs and turned into the kitchen. Shifting Jazz so he could hold him with one arm, Toby crouched down and grabbed the waffle iron out of a cabinet. Setting it on the counter and plugging it in, Toby spun around and snatched a big mug out of the cabinet and headed straight for the coffee pot. After pouring himself a generous cupful, he got the waffle batter out of the fridge and made waffles. All throughout this he could feel Jazz's tiny fingers carding through his hair. Plating the waffles, and grabbing the syrup he moved to the table. 

"Ok, buddy. Time to stop playing with my hair. Breakfast-t." Jazz's fingers let go with a final tug that Toby couldn't feel, and Toby swung him down into a chair and set a plate in front of him. He sat next to him with his own plate and looked at the other occupants of the table. Toby promptly ignored them again as he tucked a napkin into the collar of Jazz's dress, gave him a fork and dumped syrup on his waffle. LJ was snickering again.

"You look like a mother. Mama Toby. It's hilarious." He rasped and Toby glared at him for a minute.

"This is all for me?" Jazz asked, incredulously, unintentionally derailing the oncoming argument between LJ and Toby. 

"Y-yeah. Try a bite." Toby then missed his first bite as he twitched and knocked the syrup into the butter and had scramble to pick it up. 

"It's good. I like it a lot. Thanks Toby." Toby nodded distractedly, still trying to mop up the syrup. 

"Right. Introductions," Masky said suddenly, startling Toby into almost overbalancing into the butter dish. "We're going to go around the table, like we're in elementary school, and introduce ourselves. Because the other option is Toby introducing everyone. I'll start. Jazz? I'm Masky. If we're in public you call me Tim." Jazz glanced up from the waffle he was stuffing into his face and getting everywhere and nodded, giving a little wave in Masky's direction. 

Hoodie glanced sideways at Masky before shrugging, "Hoodie. I don't talk much. Brian in public."

"Jeff the killer. Just call me Jeff. It's easier all around." Jeff glared a little moodily at Jazz as his eyes strayed to the Glasgow smile Jeff sported.

"Liu Woods. Jeff's older brother. Nice to meet you kid." Jazz grinned a little at Liu.

"BEN Drowned. Or just Ben. Nice to meet you." Ben didn't look up from his handheld game.

"The Laughing Jack In a Box at your service. Or just Laughing Jack. Or just LJ." He stood up and bowed theatrically and offered a green wrapped candy to Jazz. Jazz took it and set it by his plate, offering a smile in return like he did with Liu. LJ nudged Sally in the side.

"What? I've already met him!" Sally sounded absolutely indignant. Helen rolled his eyes and looked up from his sketchbook.

"I'm Helen Otis. The Bloody Painter. Nice to meet you." This was delivered in a completely flat voice and Jazz's eyes widened.

"I'm Puppeteer. You could call me Teer for short." Jazz nodded and smiled at him. 

"Right, so I'm last. I'm Eyeless Jack, EJ for short since there's two Jacks. And I'm ready whenever you are, Toby." Toby nodded and Jazz looked up at him. 

"It's nice to meet you all. Toby can I have more waffle glue?" Toby blinked confusedly. 

"Do you mean s-syrup? If so, no." Jazz wilted. 

"Fine. What's Mr. EJ ready for?" Toby grinned sharply at Jazz.

"EJ's a doctor. He's going to g-give you a checkup. C'mon." And with that, Toby whipped off Jazz's napkin bib, and scooped him up, walking out the room and leaving the empty plates on the table. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so very tempted to draw Jazz in his little dress. So. Very. Tempted.


	3. Planning Parenthood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mama bear Toby actually knows how to be responsible, somewhat. It must be a sign of an impending apocalypse.

Masky took a sip of his coffee as Eyeless Jack stepped into the kitchen. The medical exam EJ had been operating on Jazz had taken a couple of hours, far longer than anticipated, and Masky wanted to hear the results.

"So? What's wrong with the kid?" EJ poured his own coffee before sitting down across from Masky.

"Way too much. Malnourished, dehydrated, broken bones that healed wrong, bruises, cuts, scars, a concussion, and his arm needs reconstructive surgery that I am not qualified for. I'm going to make an appointment at a hospital soon for the surgery, Toby will have to take him." EJ took a large gulp of his coffee and Masky rubbed at the bridge of his nose.

"Wonderful. I'll get Ben on forging paperwork for the kid. How much of that was recent? Do we even know his original name?" EJ grimaced. 

"Not really. The child abuse, as near as I can tell, has been happening his entire life. He informed me that he lived in a cupboard and that Toby's room was huge. I did ask what his name was before Toby named him Jazz though." EJ took another sip of his coffee, smirking into the cup in anticipation of the inevitable. 

"So? What was his original name? It'll help Ben with the paperwork at the very least." 

"Freak. Freak Dursley. At least, that's what he's thought until Toby told him that wasn't a name." Masky seemed to turn into a statue he had gone so still.

"What?" EJ smirked.

"Oh yeah. He thought his name was Freak. And that is most definitely one of the many reasons we are keeping the kid." Masky nodded in agreement, looking troubled.

"What kind of people were his aunt and uncle? They must've been practically missing their humanity." EJ nodded grimly. 

* * *

Toby entered the room like a whirlwind, clutching a notebook and pencil, and hurled himself onto an armchair. Helen and Teer looked up, from where they were curled together on the couch, in mild alarm. Toby either didn't notice or didn't care as he opened the notebook and chewed on the end of the pencil. Masky entered the room with EJ and watched in amusement. 

"What are you doing over there, Toby?" EJ definitely sounded amused. 

"S-school. For Jazz. We probably can't take him to an actual school so h-he needs to be homeschooled. So I'm working that out-t." He scribbled some things down in his notebook and subsequently missed Hoodie heading upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. The room slowly filled with people from the mansion softly chatting, while amused glances were tossed Toby's way. 

"School subjects are, oh w-wow that's a lot," Toby muttered as he continued to jot things down in his notebook, "History, science, art, music, languages probably, math, ick, math. Who wants to t-teach math. Um. Literature, grammar, writing stuff like essays and shit is probably g-good. Um. Reading, PE could probably be covered by teaching self defense. C-crap. That's a lot. Um. Crap." By now everyone was laughing at Toby and he still hadn't noticed that nearly everyone had been listening to his mutters. 

"Toby, I can cover math with Jazz, and I'll cover anatomy, chemistry, and robotics when he's older." EJ had still been laughing a bit at Toby but his laughter increased threefold at the look of utter relief that took over Toby's face.

"Oh. Oh, I can ask for help! That's awesome. Th-thanks EJ. Toby stared at his notebook for a moment before taking down some notes. Moments later he looked up with a wide grin. 

"Hey, Jeff? You play guitar, right? You could probably cover music with Jazz!" Jeff nodded hesitantly, no longer laughing and even LJ's smile began to fade, "A-and Masky, you know languages and shit, right? You could teach Jazz some." Masky nodded.

"Hoodie is actually well versed in literature. Big reader, him. He could cover literature and grammar with Jazz. And LJ knows physics and quantum physics pretty well from his carnival." Masky grinned sharply at the two he had volunteered as they glared at him. Toby sat up looking thrilled.

"Really? W-would you both?" Hoodie sighed and nodded briefly at Toby before going back to glaring at Masky. LJ considered it longer. 

"Look, I'll teach the kid physics, but only once he has a good grounding in math. And in return I get to teach the kid how to properly prank." Toby nodded and jotted down some notes. 

"I'll cover history, and that really only leaves art and essays. Hey, Helen? Helen? Wanna do art lessons-s with Jazz? Teach him to draw real pretty and stuff?" Helen looked up from his sketchbook.

"Um," Helen stammered for a moment, refocusing on his surroundings, "Sure. I'll teach him more than just how to draw though. If, and I mean if, he shows any skill or willingness to learn, I'll teach him to sketch, paint, and sculpt. No halfway jobs." Toby grinned as Helen's attention returned to his sketchbook. 

"So t-that's everything but essays. Hey, if you guys assign him essays, would you at least help me make sure that they're g-graded right? Like, i-if Hoodie's teaching him grammar, he and I could probably work together on making sure that the kid knows how to write an essay, but I won't know if all of the m-material is correct, so if I could ask questions, I could probably grade his papers myself." Masky looked stunned and the rest of the room didn't look far behind.

"That's really responsible of you, Toby. I don't think that I expected that. I think that would work, at least on my end," there were various nods throughout the room, "How are you planning to teach him history?"

"That's the easiest part! I'll get books, like actual history books," Toby gestured wildly through this in excitement, "-and read them with Jazz, and then we have a big advantage on the other kids!" 

"Oh, yeah? And what's this so-called advantage you have, then?" Jeff sounded skeptical and Toby leaned forward as if imparting a great secret.

"The slenderports. When Jazz learns about Rome, we can port to the Colosseum. When learns about the Civil War, we can take him to the b-battlefields and museums. All the field trips, none of the cost to get him there." Jeff's jaw dropped, Masky's along with it.

"Huh. That's-that's actually really clever. Huh." Masky looked as if his world had ended.

"Only problem is I think I'm f-forgetting something." Masky looked relieved at Toby's pronouncement, evidently that had reset his world. Ben dragged himself out of TV and plopped himself on an empty chair.

"I'll teach the kid coding and video games, by the way. And you forgot clothes and a bedroom. Your brat needs actual stuff." Toby blinked in astonishment. 

"Can't believe I forgot that," Toby flipped to a new page in his notebook and started writing again furiously, "Shoes, clothes, toys, games, history books, bed, mattress, um. Um. Hey, Masky? How was the rest of his room?" 

"Most of the furniture was rotten, and it was dusty and grimy and generally unlivable. I sent Jeff and LJ up to fix that during Jazz's checkup with EJ though. Probably want to ask them." Toby turned expectedly to the couch where Jeff and LJ were quarreling again. 

"The gross, broken furniture is gone, floors are swept, and the entire room got dusted and washed. Safe for a kid, but empty. Where is the kid anyway?" LJ answered the unasked question without looking away from where Jeff was trying to stab him.

" _Jazz-_ ," Toby emphasized the name, "-is taking a nap. His first doctor's appointment wore him out. And thanks. I'll add furniture to the list. Um. Thanks, Ben, for the offer.' He stared at the paper for a moment. 

"Hey, actually Ben? Could I ask a favour?" Ben narrowed his eyes at Toby. 

"Maybe. Depending on what it is." Toby grinned.

"It's not too bad. I need to take Jazz shopping, and I was thinking I'd bring Sally along, because she probably kn-knows kid stuff pretty well and she's friendly with Jazz. But the problem is that Jazz hasn't really had choices before. So, I was hoping you would come along at the very least, in order to offer another choice, and to make sure sure I don't mess up whatever g-gaming system Jazz needs." Ben nodded with a small grin. 

"Awesome! I-I'll go get Jazz and Sally. Thanks Ben!" As Toby ran upstairs he could faintly hear LJ crowing behind him.

"Mama Toby strikes again!"

* * *

Toby stood in the entrance to a toy store with his new little brother on his hip, completely overwhelmed. Ben and Sally stood on either side of him, somewhat dismayed and vibrating in excitement respectively. 

" … So, where do you want to start, Jazz?" Jazz tightened his grip on Toby.

"Dunno." Toby sighed and gestured for Sally to take the lead. To absolutely no one's surprise, they quickly found themselves in the stuffed animal section. Toby let Jazz down and he, Ben, and Sally watched for a few moments as Jazz picked out his new toy. After a minute Jazz plucked a fluffy, white wolf stuffy from the shelf and brought it back to Toby. 

"Can I get him?" Toby grinned and ruffled his hair.

"You can get him, and plenty others besides. I think Sally and Ben are each going to pick you out one or two, and you can pick any others." Jazz glanced between his new toy and Toby before turning to watch Sally and Ben who were indeed, picking out plushies and bringing them back to the cart. Sally had brought a stuffed tabby cat and a floppy lizard, while Ben had found a pikachu and a Bowser. 

"Wow. They're really for me?" Jazz sounded awed and, when Toby had nodded a firm yes, had buried his head in Toby's chest, tears streaking down his cheeks. Toby quickly gestured to Sally and Ben that Jazz was fine. They wandered through the aisles of the store, occasionally grabbing things off the shelves when Jazz looked interested. The stuffed animals were joined by a few sets of small plastic animals, a tea set, a few dress up outfits, nerf guns, and a few foam swords. The cart was getting full, and Toby was ready to call the toy store done, when Jazz absolutely lit up. 

Ben had just dumped a small collection of ninja gear into the cart, and they turned the corner into a small art section. It was all kid's stuff, of course, crayons, markers, glitter glue, and the like, but Jazz looked thrilled. Toby put Jazz down again and he wandered off looking at the shelves with barely contained excitement. He returned a moment later with a large sketchbook, a box of crayons, and a box of colored pencils. 

"Can I keep these?" As Jazz presented his finds to Toby, Ben and Sally grabbed more supplies and put them in the cart. 

"Absolutely. Let's go check out." Toby pushed the cart up to the counter as Jazz chattered animatedly to Ben and Sally. The three children followed Toby as he pushed the cart around the side of the store to where no one else was. Keeping an eye on Jazz, Ben, and Sally, Toby flipped his phone open and called LJ.

"-H-hey, you can teleport, right?-"

" _~Sure, why?~"_

_"-_ Just, we're checked out and out of the way of cameras and p-people, outside of the big toy store in town. Could you like, come pick-k up the bag and teleport them into my room, please?-" LJ sighed over the other end of the line.

" _~Yeah, fine. Be there in a moment. Am I doing this with every store?~"_

"-Probably. Sorry. Th-there's not a car.-"

" _~Nah. It's cool. Just when you're ready for pick up, text me your location next time. It's easier.~"_ After Toby had agreed to this, LJ hung up. Barely three seconds afterwards LJ had popped in with a swirl of smoke, and popped back out again with all of the various bags of Jazz's new toys. 

"Right. Clothes. Let's go!" 

* * *

The shopping had all gone fairly well, and in addition to the IKEA furniture and rug Jazz had picked for his room, they had picked up paints for his walls, and glow in the dark stars that Jazz was very excited about. The next few days passed in a blur for Jazz and Toby. Jazz had helped put his room together at first, taking a great deal of pleasure with helping Helen paint the walls and ceiling. A few days into this though, EJ had made an appointment at the hospital for Jazz for the surgery on his arm. Toby had taken him in for it and Jazz was now resigned to simply watching his room get put together. 

A week and a half, his room was completely finished and Jazz was the happiest he'd ever been. The walls were a creamy white with a few blood red, horizontal, stripes about eye level on Jazz. Helen had painted his ceiling black with galaxy patterns, and his glowy stars had gone on top. His bed was in the far corner with a galaxy printed comforter, and a toy box at the foot of the bed. On the other side of the room was a desk and a spinny chair. Two bookshelves stood tall and nearly empty beside the desk. A small shelf next to the bookcases held the TV and gaming stations that Ben had set up. A thick, fluffy, soft, grey shag rug covered the floor, and a dresser that held Jazz's clothes sat in the corner by the door. 

All in all, it was a very good room. Much nicer than his cupboard at the Dursleys. 

Since it was going to be Jazz's first night sleeping in his own room, away from Toby, after he'd left the Dursley's, Toby was going to come and tuck Jazz in. 

"Hey b-buddy. Want a hug goodnight?" Jazz nodded and sat up pushing Padfoot, his stuffed dog, to the side to hug Toby. 

"Toby?" 

"Yeah, Jazz? What's up?" Toby hugged Jazz tighter as Jazz sounded a little nervous. 

"I don't think the Dursley's were ever really home." Jazz hugged Toby harder as well and Toby grinned softly at the top of Jazz's hair. 

"No, I don't think th-they were either."

"I think this is home, in the mansion. With you, and Sally, and Ben, and Helen, and Masky, and everyone else." Toby hugged him fiercely then, before tucking Jazz under the covers. 

"I think you're right. Welcome home, Jazz."

* * *

In a castle in Scotland, in the office of a headmaster, several things happened at once. Nearly all of the fidgety, little, whistling, silver devices got shriller and shriller, before, one by one, exploding. The old man working at the desk cursed before quickly making his way out of the castle. As soon as the wards disappeared behind him, he turned on his heel and was gone with a loud crack.

He had gone to a fairly mundane house in Surrey to investigate why all of his wards and monitors had suddenly failed. He would find that the occupants of this house had been targeted by a particularly vicious serial killer. A few days later, he would find a rather horse faced woman, in the hospital, drugged to the gills and delirious, who had survived the attack. A woman named Petunia Dursley.


	4. Burning Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is a Proxy anyways?

Jazz had been with the Creeps for a couple of months when Toby came to a realization. If no one could figure out Jazz's original name, then no one knew what Jazz's birthday was. Jazz  _ had _ no birthday. After discussing this furiously with everyone else, the unanimous decision was to give Jazz a birthday, and a party to go with it. 

This brought them to the present. October 31st, Halloween, also known as Jazz's new birthday. Jazz had been quite pleased with his first birthday, even if Toby had been a bit stressed trying to make it perfect. Jazz had opened his gifts already and received a plethora of knives, art supplies, and toys. They'd had cake, and now Toby, Masky, and Hoodie were taking the three youngest people of the mansion Trick or Treating. 

"Trick or Treat!" Sally led the chorus, with Jazz and Ben echoing her. Sally was, of course, dressed as a princess. Ben had chosen to go as Ash from Pokemon. Jazz was decked out as a pirate and the three of them made a cute group with their pillowcases for candy. Toby took another picture with his phone and Ben twisted around to glare at him. 

Toby watched as Jazz ran from house to house happily. This had been his first birthday and he was five years old. It made Toby want to kill the Dursley's all over again. With extreme prejudice. 

  
  


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Two weeks after the Halloween that now doubled as Jazz's birthday, Masky had gotten up early. This didn't happen often. Most of the residents in the mansion worked late at night, if you considered murder work. As a result, almost everyone usually slept in pretty late. Toby was starting to get up earlier though, in order to keep up with Jazz, and Masky wanted to keep an eye on the chaos. It seemed that he was right to, from what he heard from the kitchen. 

"Are you sure this is allowed?" That was Sally, Masky thought as he leaned against the wall outside the kitchen. 

"Sure. I did it all the time before I came here. I'm good at cooking pancakes. I don't know how to make waffles though." Jazz, Masky's mind supplied, quickly recognizing the quiet voice.

"It's just, Masky always says not to use the stove or oven without an adult. And your arm is still in a cast." Masky frowned. Yes, he did say that, and that definitely implied that Toby was not up like he had assumed. How alarming. 

"It's fine. I used to do this all the time." Sally made a small distressed sound.

"If you're sure. But what if you get burned? That's  _ why _ I'm not allowed near the stove." Masky tilted his head closer to the door, curious to hear the answer. 

"Then I get burned. I'm used to it anyway. Aunt Petunia used to put my hands on the burners when I messed up the food. I'm very good at cooking now, and I don't care if I get burned. It doesn't hurt that much anymore." Nope. Masky was calling it. The kids were coming out of the kitchen. That was not healthy.

As Masky rounded the corner into the kitchen, he watched as Jazz startled, and caught himself on the burner. The smell of sizzling flesh filled the room and Masky practically ran to grab Jazz. Sally screamed and burst into tears as Masky bodily lifted Jazz away from the stove. There was a circular burn seared into the side of Jazz's hand the size of the burner and Masky cursed viciously. In Russian, so that Toby's brat wouldn't pick up any new words. Hefting Jazz on his hip, Masky whirled around and exited the kitchen with Sally following. 

Within moments, Masky was banging on EJ's door and Sally was no longer sobbing, though she had stayed by Masky's side, sniffling occasionally. 

"The hell you want?" EJ demanded wrenching open his door. Clearly, he had been asleep, because his hair was sticking up in every direction and his mask was askew. 

"There's something wrong with the brat." Masky punctuated this sentence by thrusting Jazz in front of him at EJ.

"Toby says brat isn't a name. My name's Jazz." Jazz twisted around to stare at Masky as he said this. Masky stared back.

"Yeah, ok kid. Whatever. Look, EJ, he's burnt and can't feel it. Something's wrong." EJ sighed deeply. 

"Right. Medbay. Let's go. Where is Toby, anyway?" Masky shrugged. 

"Still asleep, I assume. I got early." Masky earned an incredulous look for that and EJ snorted. 

"Is Jazz going to be okay?" Sally's tremulous voice interrupted and both adult killers blinked.

"I'm fine Sally. It doesn't even hurt. Just looks gross." Jazz was inspecting his hand and EJ and Masky took the opportunity to look at it themselves. The burn was shiny and oozing and peeling at the edges. The burn was not fine. 

"Put him on the table. Masky, you're absolutely right, something is wrong with him. That's a second degree, maybe third degree burn, that should definitely hurt." Masky plunked Jazz on the first medical examination table in the medbay and leaned against the wall. 

"Sally, why don't you go get Toby? Tell him that Jazz is in the medbay." Masky sent Sally off and focused on where EJ was spreading a cream on Jazz's burn. The five year old wasn't reacting at all. EJ quickly began running tests on Jazz focusing on his hands, and the arm he could access. 

"Jazz? Are you okay? Is he okay? What happened?" Toby came skidding into the room as EJ stood back up and sighed. EJ immersed himself in writing down his results. Apparently, Masky had to explain. 

"Your kids broken." Toby gaped at Masky. Perhaps that wasn't the best choice of words.

"I-he-Jazz is what?" Masky shifted awkwardly from foot to foot.

"That didn't come out right. Look, he burned himself and can't feel it at all. That's not normal." Toby's eyes narrowed dangerously at Masky.

"I can't feel it when I get burnt. Are you saying I'm not normal either? Are you really going there?" Masky winced. 

"That was not what I meant. You have a medical condition. That we have preexisting knowledge of. As far as we know, Jazz does not. Just, we need to know  _ why  _ Jazz couldn't feel it when he got burned." Toby glared for a moment before moving to sit next to Jazz.

"It's nerve damage." EJ said, "Severe nerve damage. That's why Jazz couldn't feel the burn. It's mostly in his hands and forearms but I wouldn't discount it being a little past his elbows." Masky and Toby stared at EJ in horror.

"Does it heal?" Toby's question was met with a grimace.

"It might. A little. It won't heal much, and it will never heal all the way. Toby, his nerve damage is going to behave like a localized version of your CIPA. Don't mess around if he says he's bleeding. And Jazz?" EJ waited until he had Jazz's full attention before continuing, "You don't mess around either. If you think you're hurt, even if you can't feel it, find someone. Ok?" Jazz nodded and stared at his gauze wrapped hand.

"Wh-what I want to know is how Jazz got burnt." Toby sounded pissed and Masky was completely done.

"Breakfast." Toby glared at Masky.

"Helpful." Toby's voice was completely flat.

"We were making breakfast. Jazz wanted to make pancakes. I wanted to get Masky before we cooked them but Jazz had already started and he said that he'd done it before." Sally's breath hitched as she said this and Toby's face softened. 

"Alright. Sally, n-next time get someone. The first person you can find, even if it's not Masky. Ok?" Sally nodded and Toby turned to Jazz.

"Jazz, what were you thinking, using the stove?" Jazz shifted uncomfortably. 

"I hafta earn my keep. So I was going to make breakfast." Jazz's eyes began to water dangerously, "It's going to be burnt now." Masky focused on Jazz and Toby drew in a shaky breath.

"Jazz, who told you that?" Toby's attention was entirely focused on Jazz, though his twitches and ticking were increasing.

"Aunt Petunia." Jazz's voice was hesitant, and he threw a wary glance at EJ when he slammed the clipboard on the counter. 

"Do you remember the favor I asked you? About your Aunt Petunia?" Toby was impressed with his own ability to keep calm.

"You asked me to remember that Aunt Petunia lied a lot and to tell you what she said, but Toby, Jeff said he wasn't sure why I was here. He said I wasn't  _ doing _ anything to, to be able to stay a-and that I wasn't even a proxy!" Toby sighed deeply and Masky snarled.

"Jeff said that to you?" EJ had asked that and Jazz shrank at how angry he sounded. 

"Not, not  _ to _ me. He was talking to Helen. Do you think Helen agrees?" Jazz sounded even more distressed, "I like Helen! He's fun to draw with!" EJ let out a deep throaty growl, and Jazz was suddenly reminded that he ate people.

"I'm going to go… _explain_ a few things to Jeff. You two should explain things to the brat." EJ stalked out of the room then, grabbing a scalpel on his way out almost absentmindedly. Masky and Toby exchanged a series of looks. 

"Jazz, do you know what a proxy is?" Toby asked. Jazz shook his head and Toby sighed. 

“A Proxy is what all of us here in the mansion are. With the exception of you and Slenderman. We're representatives, of a sort. Most of us are murderous, to an extent. Slenderman protects us and gives us a home, and in return we kill for him." Masky grabbed EJ's abandoned chair and sat down across from Jazz as he spoke, "We're the subordinates of the Slenderman in other words. Understand?"

"Sort of. So Slenderman is your boss? And he tells you who to kill?" Toby snickered. 

"In a way. He is our boss, that's a good way of putting it, but we can kill on our own. He moderates us, I suppose. So that there's not dozens of massacres, and sometimes he points us in the direction of someone who needs to die." Jazz considered Toby's words for a minute. 

"How does he know who needs to die?" Masky and Toby both looked stumped.

"That's a very good question." Masky looked at Toby. Toby shrugged in response.

**_"I am able to feel the shifts in the balance of the world. This world is composed of light and dark, good and evil, happiness and sorrow. My role, and the role of my proxies is to maintain the balance between black and white. The world should remain at, to put it incredibly simply, a neutral grey. As a result, I see who is disrupting the balance, or who will impact it in a major way."_ ** Jazz thought about this.

"Jeff said I wasn't a proxy." 

**_"You are not. You are too young yet. When you are older, and conditions have satisfied, you will be a proxy."_ **

"How old? And are you the only one keeping the balance?" The Slenderman stepped closer to Jazz's medical bed and even Masky looked slightly uncomfortable with his close presence. 

**_"I do not know. The balance is not grey within you yet. All who are my Proxies have started out light centered, and slowly turned dark within their hearts. The key is the ability to turn aside from the black within and remain grey. It is an opportunity that you will encounter, but I do not know when."_ **

"So everyone here kills, but they can stay because they're sometimes a little bit nice?" 

**_"A simplistic way of putting it. I protect everyone in this house, because while they have embraced their darkness, and to an extent revel in it, they also value a small amount of good within themselves."_ ** Jazz looked utterly shocked.

" _ Even  _ Jeff?" The Slenderman laughed at Jazz's incredulous question, which was truly impressive, since he did not have a mouth.

**_"Even Jeffery. Jeffery harbors a good deal of anger for Liu, and Liu likewise, but neither allows anyone else to hurt the other. Jeffery retains a small amount of his childhood favor for Liu, and Liu remains somewhat protective of Jeffery. Though you would not know it from how much the two fight. Sally retains her childish innocence in a much larger capacity than many here, and tends to target those who hurt children like she had been hurt. Tobias targets child abusers similar to his own father, such as your Aunt and Uncle, and remains highly protective of children. Benjamin does not tend to kill as often as the others, preferring his games, but when he does he tends to target those who have committed cybercrimes. EJ kills to eat, but targets criminals. LJ kills children who will one day upset the balance most grievously but remembers each and every one. Helen, Puppeteer, Timothy, and Brian all target those whom I ask them to, though they have fun with it. Do you understand now?"_ ** Jazz nodded. 

"Sally and Ben are both kids though. Can't I be a Proxy to? I helped Toby kill Aunt Petunia." Toby snorted.

"I'll take this one Slendy. Sally and Ben are both ghosts. They're dead. Never going to get older. You are. You're going to get older, and you're not d-dead. When Slendy makes you a Proxy you won't age anymore. Stuck at five forever would suck. S-so you get to be older before Slendy makes you a full blown Proxy." Toby hugged Jazz closer to his side briefly as he said this. 

"Oh. Am I a little bit Proxy?" Jazz looked hopefully at the Slenderman, "Since I'm allowed to stay and Masky said you only protected your Proxies and gave them a home?"

**_"Yes, child. You are a proxy to an extent. I have marked you as mine and that will suffice until you are older."_ ** Jazz nodded resolutely. 

"Good. I don't want to leave. This is home. My first home." Toby grinned and Masky smiled softly at the tiny, malnourished child.

**_"Then do not leave. And do not allow Jeffrey's words to chase you out either."_ **

"Ok. Hey, Toby? I'm hungry. And I smell smoke." Jazz raised his arms for Toby to lift him up, but was distracted by Masky suddenly looking panicked. 

"Shit! Shit, crap, shit! I left the stove on!" Masky went tearing out of the medbay like the house was on fire. Which it might be.

  
  


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	5. Guns and Field Trips

A wizened old man, the headmaster of a prestigious school, was deep in thought at his desk. Petunia Dursley had been hysterical when he had questioned her. The poor woman hadn't been speaking sense at all. Fortunately, Dumbledore could piece together the traumatic events that had occured. An insane young man had brutally murdered Vernon and Dudley Dursley and attempted to kill Petunia. The killer seemed to have either ignored, or perhaps not noticed young Harry. Accidental magic perhaps. 

It was the greatest relief about the events. The boy _ had _ survived. When the wards had fallen, most of Dumbledore's tracking and monitoring devices had failed, however, the lone silver device on his desk that still worked let him know the boy was in fact still alive. Dumbledore picked up the elder wand and began the first of many tracking and locating spells. His aunt was still alive and the boy could be placed back with her, rather easily, once he had been located. After all, surely the boy could not have gone far. As he completed the spell, his merry smile dropped as nothing happened. Forcing another grandfatherly smile up, he began the incantation to another. It would be the second of many to fail.

  
  
  


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Jazz bounced up to where Liu was sitting on the porch cleaning his gun. Quite literally bounced, Jazz was wearing a dress with little rabbits on it to match Sally's and he was hopping like the rabbits on his dress. Jazz hopped right onto the bench next to Liu and watched him. 

"Why do you fight with Jeff so much?" Liu looked up sharply and glared at Jazz, his hands stilling on the gun.

"What?" Liu snarled.

"Why do you fight with Jeff so much? Jeff said it was because he killed your parents but that he's not crazy mad anymore. And Slendy said that it was his fault because he was watching and Jeff was affected by his radiation. But now you're both proxies, right? So why do you and Jeff fight so much?" Jazz said this all in one go and Liu was mildly impressed at Jazz's ability to talk so quickly. 

"Don't you have school?" Liu snapped. 

"Well, yes, but not right now. EJ said I was done for today with math and I don't have science until tomorrow and Ben's in the TV making sure Toby doesn't get caught by cameras. I get to have a few free hours, Masky said so. So I wanted to know why you and Jeff fight so much and then I wanted to ask you to show me how to shoot a gun. Jeff's already teaching me knives." Liu stared at nothing in particular for a long moment. Jazz was talking far too quickly. 

"I… don't even know. I can teach you how to shoot a gun, but the whatever between me and Jeff is really complicated." Liu said.

"So say it simply." Jazz tilted his head at Liu in an unspoken challenge and Liu sighed.

"I don't actually have a problem with Jeff. Sully does, and Jeff has residual guilt that he doesn't know how to deal with." Jazz tilted his head considering this.

"Sully's the other you in your head, right?" Liu nodded and Jazz looked confused, "If Sully is you, sort of, then why is he mad and not you?"

"Sully was… made after Jeff attacked me. He's still mad at Jeff, because that's his first memory." Jazz thought about it. 

"Ok. Is Sully a different age then you then?" Liu laughed. 

"Yes. He is. Now you wanted to learn to shoot. C'mere." Jazz hopped down from his seat and scrambled over as Liu pulled out his gun and a magazine clip. 

"I know how to load a pistol. Masky made me learn." Jazz offered and Liu nodded sharply, handing the weapon to the child. Jazz clicked the clip into the gun and looked to Liu.

"This is the safety," Liu pointed out on the gun as he adjusted Jazzes grip on the gun, "and this is where you cock the gun. This is the trigger. Leave the safety on until you're ready to shoot, and keep your finger off of the trigger until you're about to shoot." 

"Where am I going to shoot?" Liu paused and glanced around the porch for a moment. 

"You see the pinecone on the branch?" Liu gestured to the other side of the porch to a tree maybe fifteen feet away. Jazz nodded.

"You're going to aim there." He helped Jazz lift and aim the gun steadying it the entire time. "Now take the safety off and cock the gun." Jazz did so quickly, despite the fact that Liu had to help Jazz cock the gun. Jazz squinted down the barrel of the pistol and squeezed the trigger.

Instead of hearing a crunch as a bullet hit something, hopefully a pinecone, Jazz and Liu heard a yelp with the crack of the pistol. The front door had opened a moment before and the bullet had gone through the door and into Masky's shoulder. Liu snatched the pistol away from Jazz and put the safety on before tossing it over the porch railing. 

"Lesson two. When to run very fast." Liu said cheerfully as he picked up Jazz and leapt over the porch railing and ran full speed into the forest, Masky chasing after.

  
  


**(X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)**

  
  
  


At age six, Jazz had been doing the Creep's version of homeschooling for five months. To everyone's relief, Jazz had already taught himself to read which made it much easier to teach him. They were all highly put out that the reason he had taught himself to read had been for the Dursley's. Jazz had needed to be able to read recipes and cleaning chemical labels. Jeff had just about thrown a fit when Jazz had recounted, quite seriously, that bleach was not to be mistaken with soap. To EJ's relief, the necessary task of doubling or tripling the recipes to account for the appetites of Vernon and Dudley had also given Jazz some basic math skills. 

Jazz was going on his first field trip, and to Toby's disappointment, had chosen to go to the Louvre and to invite Helen. For about a month the proxies had all focused on France in some way. Toby went over history, both of France, and some of the basic history of the more famous art in the Louvre. Masky had drilled Jazz on French until he could read, write, and speak it near fluently. Eyeless had shifted his math lessons around until Jazz had memorized conversions and could figure out euros. Toby was thinking that this might become a theme for Jazz's field trips and education.

France itself was much nicer than any of them had thought. The Louvre had taken two days, but the proxies enjoyed Paris for the rest with museums, the Eiffel Tower, the Palace of Versailles, and a lot of fancy French food. It had been a relatively small group that went. Helen, Puppeteer, Masky, Toby, Ben, and Jazz were technically all a part of the field trip group, but Masky and Puppeteer were also each working a job, and weren't always there. 

The only part of the trip that the proxies didn't enjoy as much was the amount of shopping done. Now that Jazz was no longer being malnourished, he had started growing like a beanstalk. Upon hearing from Toby's history lessons that Paris was considered the fashion capital of the world, Jazz had insisted on getting some new clothes there. 

And so Jazz's first field trip concluded with everyone who had gone gaining a few pounds from French cuisine, excepting Ben and Puppeteer, a renewed interest in Art and history on Jazz's part, far too many shopping bags of clothes, and six utterly exhausted people. Jazz grinned as he heard LJ cackling in glee as Masky walked into a wall in his quest for coffee. 

It was bedtime now, and he was going to wear his new pajamas. Jazz was having a sleepover, of sorts, with Ben and Toby said they could stay up late. Ben had a new game called Bioshock and they were going to play it as late as they could.

It had been almost two years since Jazz had started living at the manor in the forest. Jazz barely remembered his life before the Creeps. His old family seemed more like creatures from a nightmare than people. His Uncle Walrus, Aunt Giraffe, and Cousin Pig. Jazz giggled at the thought and resolved to draw it with Helen. 

Masky had even said that they might not even be his family. Ben hadn't found any records. No birth name, no birth certificate, no adoption or foster papers. Legally, it was like Jazz didn't exist before he was Jazz Rogers. Masky didn't think Jazz was related to the Dursleys. Jazz had liked the thought, even if Hoodie had looked a bit skeptical, and he had promptly decided that if the Dursley's weren't really his family then anything they'd said didn't matter. Jazz had a  _ real _ family now and their opinions were the only ones that mattered to Jazz. Ben slipped in the door with a game disk in his hand and Jazz grinned. This was  _ his  _ family now. And nobody could change that. Except possibly the Slenderman.


	6. Control Your Inner Chaos

Dumbledore had given up on locating Harry Potter before Hogwarts. None of his tracking or locating spells had worked. In a mere few years though, the boy would come to Hogwarts, and Dumbledore could regain control then. Surely the boy's accidental magic that had hidden him from the murderers notice, was simply keeping him from Dumbledore's view as well. He had to just be with a muggle family that took him in. There was no other explanation. When the brat got to Hogwarts, he would simply remove whatever magic was protecting him. And the quill that marked the envelopes had never yet been wrong. 

  
  


**(X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)**

  
  


Jazz was seven now, and since it was a Saturday, he was practicing his parkour with Toby. He was getting quite good at jumping tree to tree like a squirrel. Not paying enough attention, Jazz landed on a branch and heard a loud crack. The branch had been dead, and with a low creak, it broke free from the tree.

And Jazz fell. 

He was falling, falling, falling. 

As he fell Jazz panicked and wished desperately that he weren't about to hit the ground, hard enough to die, or need a hospital. 

Falling, falling, falling, faster and faster, the wind whipping at his clothes. Wishing, hoping, desperately that something would save him. 

Jazz felt a snap deep inside himself, as if in the very core of his being. Jazz hit the ground. Jazz bounced. 

Like a rubber ball, Jazz bounced once, twice, three times and laid on his back staring at the sky. A moment later Toby's fear filled face invaded Jazz's contemplation of reality.

"Jazz! Are you okay? Are you hurt-t? You're not moving! Wait here, don't move! I'll-I'll-I'll j-just g-get EJ." Jazz blinked.

"I'm fine, Toby." Toby, if it were possible, looked even more frantic. 

"You j-just fell like f-forty feet!" Toby shrieked. Interesting. Jazz hadn't thought Toby could go that high-pitched. Jazz thought he might be in shock.

"It's ok. I bounced. I'm not hurt." Toby stared at him. 

"D-delirious. You're delirious. I'm taking you to EJ. Jazz, c-can you stand?" Jazz nodded, stood up, and began walking stiffly towards the mansion. Toby followed close behind, obviously worried, and hovering just a bit. 

Before they entered the mansion, his vision had begun to spin and Jazz started to sway a bit as he walked. Toby steadied him with a hand on his shoulder. Jazz's world was jumbled, the walls and floor and Toby blurring together into an indistinct grey haze. 

Without warning Jeff imposed himself into Jazz's indistinct perspective, loudly asking if he was alright. 

Jazz wished he weren't there. 

And then he wasn't. 

Jazz's world sharpened suddenly to a painful clarity of vivid color and edged lines of frantic movement of frenzied people, and he watched as Jeff's concerned face morphed into a visage of confusion and Jeff flew across the room and slammed into the wall with an audible crunch. It had almost looked as he had been thrown by a giant invisible hand. Except no one had touched him and Jazz had felt the same warmth in his core as when he had bounced after he fell. 

Masky moved to check on where Jeff lay crumpled at the base of the wall and Toby stayed frozen clutching Jazz's shoulders. Jazz's breath sped up and he was gasping for air. Vaguely he recognized that EJ was in front of him, attempting to get his attention. Jazz's focus stayed on where Jeff was still unconscious by the wall. 

**_"Jazz. I need your attention, please."_ ** Jazz glanced up and fixed his sight on the faceless sight of the Slenderman. 

"What-" Jazz took a breath and blinked back tears,"-what's happening? I did that. How did I do that? What's happening to me?" Jazz's voice got higher and more tremulous as he talked.

**_"You are a mage. A powerful one to be accessing your magic at this age. Jeff will recover quickly. You, however, will need to train your own magic. I will take over this duty to whatever extent I am capable. Eyeless Jack, I believe that Jazz is entering shock. Your services will be needed. Tobias, please escort your brother to the infirmary."_ ** Toby nodded and ushered Jazz out of the room. 

\------

A mere few days later and the Slenderman and Jazz were in a clearing in the forest. He was shifting from foot to foot and plucking at the hem of his t-shirt nervously. 

"I-I don't really have to learn magic, right? I hurt Jeff last time." Jazz glanced up at the Slenderman when he seemed to sigh.

**_"Child. If you do not learn how to harness your magic now, you will eventually lose control completely, and the harm done to Jeffery will be unleashed a hundred fold. You will need to learn control. Magic is like a flame. You must keep it in check lest it consume and destroy far more than Jeffery."_ ** The Slenderman slowly folded himself down until he was seated on the ground. Jazz sat down across from him smothering his giggles at the odd sight of the Slenderman sitting cross cross. 

"What do I do?" Slenderman observed the child for a moment.

**_"I will talk. I will teach you of magic, and you will listen. For now as I speak, close your eyes and search for your core."_ ** Jazz opened his eyes and his mouth in order to ask a question and the Slenderman cut him off,  **_"I will tell you what a core is and how to find it. For now shut your eyes."_ ** Jazz did so and the Slenderman began his lesson.

**_"Magic can be compared to many things, a fire, a river, a storm. It flows throughout the world and through many people. Some people are able to access it, though the level of access differs. You use magic as a tool, but respect it as a partner. Magic is dangerous. Those who can access magic do so through a magical core. Many mages learn magic by accessing their core with a wand or staff. This is cheat, and a crutch, and you will learn a different method for now. You will unlock your core to both yourself and the world's magic._ **

**_Turn your gaze inward. Not your eyes Jazz, shut your eyes. You are going to look inside yourself mentally. Tell me when you think you have gotten into your inner self._ ** **Without** **_opening your eyes."_ ** Jazz and the Slenderman sat in silence for a long time before Jazz spoke. 

"I think I got it." The Slenderman nodded.

**_"Describe your mental surroundings."_ **

"Um. I'm in a forest, and the mansion is behind me. I think it might be your forest but it's too sunny." Jazz's voice was distant as if he were sleep talking. 

**_"Good. That is your inner mind. Eventually we will get to the point when you add defenses in order to keep others out of your mind. For now we will unlock your core. Where do you think you would feel safest?"_ ** Jazz hummed for a moment considering. 

"In the Manor, probably. Maybe my room?" 

**_"Go then and tell me what you see when you are there."_ ** There was another ten minutes or so of silence. 

"I got to the rooms but Toby's room felt safer than mine so I went in his. There's a big ball of tangley glowy thread. In the air. Just floating." 

**_"That is your core. What are its colors?"_ **

"Um. It's black, and green, and lots of purple. It keeps hitting the walls and sounding hurt."

**_"That, child, is because your core is locked into you. Touch the center of your core and you will unlock it."_ **

Inside Jazz's mind he drew closer to the ball of twisting threads and reached out. The ends of a lot of the threads were broken or knotted, as if someone had taken scissors to it. The core was jagged and angry pushing at Jazz and pulling him further in simultaneously. In his mind's eye he could see the center of the core, a luminescent globe of light grey swirled through with black and red.

Jazz pushed his fingers into the globe and the grey, black, and red swirls parted around his hand to reveal a pulsing orb of vibrant purple. Jazz grasped this purple orb, barely the size of a marble for all its brightness, and all of the lights and colors swirling around Jazz, jabbing at him, pulling, and pushing, curling around, exploded outward.

Jazz opened his eyes to stare at the Slenderman. The Slenderman stared back, almost seeming to grin, which was remarkably eerie with no face.

**_"I could feel your core unlocking from here. Very well done Jazz. What do you feel, both when you were unlocking your core, and now?"_ ** Jazz grinned.

"When I was unlocking my core it was jagged and pokey. Like my core didn't want to be unlocked. And now it's warm and cozy. Like when Toby makes me Hot Chocolate after a bad dream. Like a friend that lives in my belly." The Slenderman chuckled at the description. 

**_"Yes. That is how your magic ought to feel. It is strange that your magic fought against you however. I will look into that. For now hold out your hand and imagine a flame in it. It will not burn you should you not wish it too. Picture the flame in your mind and will it to be so."_ ** Jazz nodded and concentrated on his hand. In a mere moment a flame burst into being on Jazz's hand, big and bright. 

Flames also sprouted up in a six foot radius around Jazz, wild and bright and spreading quickly to the trees. Jazz looked wide eyed at the Slenderman. In response the Slenderman's own magic, cold and icy and dark, flickered out and doused the flames.

**_"That went exactly as I thought it would. I would like you to notice both how easy it is to use your magic, and how easy it is to lose control. This is your first lesson. will work on your control first, and then I will teach you illusions. We will be here for days. I am perfectly capable of conjuring food and a bed for you should I need to. Now, focus, and conjure a flame in your hand. Only in your hand."_ **

  
  
  


**(X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)**

  
  
  


Jazz was nine now, and he was going on his first official job with Toby. He had been practicing magic with Slendy for two years now, and he had learned all that the Slenderman could teach him. This was his big test. To see if Jazz had control over his magic. 

The job was a child killer. Specifically a wretched brute that kidnapped children to sell. That was bad enough on it's own, but he had a temper and killed more of the children that he snatched than he ever sold, in a fit of pique. Jazz was more than ready to kill the imbecile. Toby was watching but it was Jazz's kill. The lock clicked as Jazz finished picking it and Jazz slipped inside, Toby close behind. 

Jazz took a minute to observe his surroundings. His target, a Mr. Brent Doyle, had a house full of trinkets. Little porcelain ornaments were everywhere. Jazz grinned. One of the first spells that Slenderman had taught him was a minor illusion for glamour purposes, and another thing that Masky had gotten ahold of, was pictures of his various victims. Those were going to work very well together. Jazz closed his eyes and pulled for the warm feeling of his magic. When he opened his eyes again they were glowing a bright poisonous green and the room was vibrating. A good half of the little porcelain statuettes lifted into the air and followed Jazz as he stalked to the bedroom of the child killer. As he went a sadistic smile grew on Jazz's face. The door creaked open as he stepped through it, and Jazz gathered his magic in preparation. 

Jazz took a deep breath, held it, and released. All of the little curios bobbing in the air behind Jazz slammed into the wall and ceiling above Doyle's head. The shards rained down on his face and he jerked awake in confusion. Jazz gathered his magic and thrust it into an illusion. As Doyle's half asleep, confused gaze landed on him, Jazz thanked his lucky stars that the last kid killed here had looked like Jazz. Black hair, green eyes, and being short had never served Jazz better. Glamours were easier the less you have to change.

Doyle stared in horror at the image of his most recent prey, recently dead, who was standing at the end of his bed staring back at him. As his horror grew, the kid opened his mouth, his glowing green eyes not blinking. 

"Mr. Doyle, you hurt me." As his abject terror grew, the kid's innocent voice grew sinister.

_ "Mr. Doyle, you hurt all of us." _

And Jazz's illusion activated,  _ all _ of the children that had been killed by this man flickered into view looking untouched and dressed in white. As the man in the bed watched, the children's blank expressions darkened and the pieces of broken pottery trembled and lifted into the air. The man's eyes remained transfixed as the children began to bleed in places and develop bruises, and the shards of pottery turned slowly in the air so that the sharp ends were all pointing at him. The man's gaze remained so riveted on the illusion of ghost children, that he didn't notice as the shards of pottery had slammed into him until he was choking on his own blood. Jazz let his illusion drop and took two steps forward. 

_ "Aren't you sorry, Mr. Doyle?" _ The man on the bed let out a terrified whimper as Jazz's magic surged forward and he and his bed were consumed by fire. 

Jazz spun on one heel and practically skipped out of the room and threw himself at Toby. Toby caught him deftly and spun him around once, before dropping Jazz back to the floor. 

"Nice little fire, isn't-t that?" Toby's neck ticced with a loud crack as he spoke. Jazz looked to see that the fire had left the bedroom and was spreading into the living room and kitchen. 

"Yup." Jazz dug in Toby's bag for a moment, "Wanna roast marshmallows?" He brandished the ziploc bag. Toby tore it open and grabbed one, handing Jazz a chopstick in return.

"Always." 

  
  


**(X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)**

  
  


In a castle in Scotland Dumbledore watched the quill address the letters with Professor Mcgonagall, who would then send them out.

All the way to the Ps they watched with bated breath, until all the Ps were addressed and Potter hadn't been one of them. Dumbledore sighed in disappointment, and Mcgonagall let out a choked cry.

"My dear, what tragedy has occurred to cause this?" Dumbledore said softly gazing at the wall.

"No, Albus look!" Dumbledore leaned forward and watched as the quill addressed another letter altogether.

_ Mr. J. Rogers, formerly Mr. H. Potter. _

_ The Breakfast Table, Third Chair on the Left. _

_ The Mansion, The Forests, America.  _


	7. But Why Owls?

July 31st. Just like any other day, Jazz was eating breakfast and taking as long as he could in order to avoid math. Toby was slogging his way through Jazz's essays with Hoodie reading over his shoulder. Normal, boring, mundane, or at least it had been.

Now there was an owl tapping insistently on the window. Masky stumbled over to the coffeepot to get a cup, and opened the window on his way past, fully expecting the owl to fly away. Instead the owl spread its wings and swooped into the kitchen clipping Masky on the side of his head on its way past. 

The owl circled the kitchen drawing the stares of almost everyone sitting at the table before landing in front of Jazz and sticking out its leg. When Jazz made no move other than than to take another bite of waffle the owl hooted irritably. Jazz glared at the owl and took a bite of his bacon defiantly. Ben sighed and reached across Jazz's plate to snatch the letter from the owl's leg.

"Oh that's just creepy. Jazz, mail for you." Ben tossed the thick envelope at Jazz's face. Jazz glared briefly at Ben before picking up the envelope. 

"That is creepy. What in the world?" Toby set down his papers and looked at Jazz. 

"What's so creepy about it, besides the fact that an owl brought it?" Toby tossed a sausage at the bird for emphasis which was quickly eaten. 

"The address is :

_ Mr J. Rogers, formerly Mr H. Potter, _

_ Breakfast Table, Third Chair on the Left,  _

_ The Mansion, The Forests, America _ . 

Very specific and very accurate." There was a moment as everyone in the kitchen looked up and started paying attention, Masky and Hoodie counting chairs. 

"That's impossible. Slenderman's warded this place so much that no one should know it exists, much less send an owl, with a letter that specific, much less correctly." Masky's voice was completely flat and Jazz leaned away slightly. 

"Well, I don't know! Maybe it's a prank or something!" Jazz held the letter, still unopened away from him as if it were poisoned, "Besides, there's no H. Potter here." 

"Jazz, it said formerly H. Potter. That was probably your birth name." EJ took a bite of his liver after he said this, not even looking up from his book. 

"That's creepier. I don't like this." Jazz eyed the letter and the owl that had brought it warily.

"Duly noted. Open the letter, and read it out loud." It was the first Jeff had said on the situation and Jazz obliged him, breaking the wax seal. 

" _ Dear Mr. Potter,  _

_ We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  _

_ Term begins on September 1st. We will await your owl by no later than July 31st. _

_ Yours sincerely, _

_ Minerva Mcgonagall  _

_ Deputy Headmistress." _

"Is it a joke?" Toby finally said. 

"I don't think so. Oh, look, here's the supply list. First years are not allowed a broomstick. Students are reminded that the acceptable pets are an owl, a cat, or a toad. No, Toby, not a joke at all." Jazz dropped the letter with visible disgust.

"Should we send a letter back with the owl?" Ben was already holding a paper and pen, and was vibrating with excitement. 

"Even if it is real, it's already July 31st. Is there really a point?" Jeff sounded cynical and Jazz nodded in agreement. 

"You might as well. There's no guarantee that the owl will even take it. It might just be hanging around in case someone else gives it sausage." Masky was ever the voice of reason and Jazz pushed away his syrupy plate in favor of the pen and paper that Ben held. He scribbled furiously for a moment before folding the paper up. The owl bent down and snatched the paper before flying back out the window. 

"The owl d-does take replies." Toby said dryly. 

"If this is Candy Pop I'm just going to laugh." LJ said randomly and the entire room turned to glare at him.

  
  


**(X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)**

  
  


A week later the owl was tapping at the window again and Jazz's head hit the table. Masky let it in and it flew straight to Jazz. Ben tugged the letter off the bird's foot before Jazz could grab it and the two began to fight over the letter. Said scuffle was short lived as Toby snatched the letter away from both of them and opened it. 

" _ Dear Mr. Potter,  _

_ Until further reason has been given I will use the name acknowledged as your legal birth name, rather than the one you seem to be insistent on using. You seem to be confused as to what you are. Let me assure you that you are a wizard and that you will need further training. Owl mail seems to be an unreliable method to have this necessary conversation, and so I would like to meet you and your guardians at Trafalgar Square on the eighth. Bring your acceptance letter to Hogwarts. All questions will be answered, I will be waiting with a small flag in order to identify myself. _

_ Yours sincerely,  _

_ Minerva Mcgonagall  _

_ Deputy Headmistress." _

Toby finished reading the letter with surprisingly little stuttering. 

"But my name  _ is  _ Jazz Rogers! Not H. Potter or whatever!" 

"He doesn't have a birth name! We looked!" Jazz and Ben both spoke at once irate and upset. Masky had a different concern altogether. 

"Tomorrow is the eighth." The kitchen erupted with voices all speaking at once.

  
  


**(X) (X) (X) (X) (X)**

  
  


The next day a small group of the Creeps were in Trafalgar Square, desperately trying to stay awake from the time difference between places. The teacher was waiting with a small red and gold flag on a bench, and Masky dragged the group over. 

"Ms. Mcgonagall?" Masky's voice was crisp.

"Yes. Professor, if you would. And you are?" The professor's voice was stern and Jazz and Toby simultaneously shivered.

"I am Tim, this is Jazz, who received the letter for your school. " Masky gestured to his left before continuing. Mcgonagall nodded as if she were already aware.

"Ah, yes. Mr. Potter. I must say, we at Hogwarts were all very surprised when your letter was addressed."

"Rogers." Toby's voice was hard.

"I beg your pardon?" Professor Mcgonagall blinked as if startled.

"His name is Jazz Rogers. Not H. Potter or whatever. Jazz Rogers." Toby was glaring fiercely at the Professor and Jeff cackled, clearly delighted at the possibility of a fight. 

"His birth name is Harry Potter. That is what his parents named him, that is his name." Professor Mcgonagall's lips were thinned in displeasure and Toby was tensing for a fight. 

"My name is  _ Jazz.  _ I picked it out myself, and Toby, Ma-, I mean Tim, and Brian said it was legal. I don't  _ know  _ who Harry Potter is but he isn't  _ me _ !" Jazz said all of this in one breath clearly upset, and Sally stepped forward to grab his hand in an attempt to help him calm down. 

"Very well,  _ child _ . Whichever name you use however, you still need supplies for school. If you would please follow me to the Leaky Cauldron?" Silently the group of Proxies followed Professor Mcgonagall.

As they entered the pub, that they could all clearly see but everyone around them seemed to disregard, the fact that they were entering a place of magic became blatantly clear. There were cups, plates, and bowls of food floating from place to place, newspapers with moving pictures, and every so often the massive fireplace in the back of the pub would flare green and someone would step out. 

The entire group was looking around, mildly awed at casual use of magic, though Jeff's gaze seemed caught on the knife that was chopping meat on its own. Professor Mcgonagall's mouth tugged upwards at the corner as she watched the proxies' reactions. She led them through the pub and out the back door.

She then pulled out a wand and tapped a pattern on the brick wall. The bricks shifted and twirled, opening to a bustling street of the same eccentricity as the Leaky Cauldron. Professor Mcgonagall strode purposefully towards the massive white marble building on the other side of the alley and the group of proxies silently followed her. 

"This is Gringotts Bank. It is run by the Goblins, and it is the only wizarding bank. I have Mr. Potter's key with me, and when we get the money from his vault I will explain wizarding currency and the exchange rates." She strode up to an empty desk and stood there as the strange creature behind the desk finished shuffling through his papers. 

"Name." The goblin ground out not looking up from his papers. 

"Harry Potter." Jazz and Toby exchanged a glance and Masky facepalmed. 

"Actually, it's Jazz Rogers." Jazz's teeth were gritted in annoyance. The goblin leaned forward and peered at the group.

"Interesting. I believe that this will take a while. Professor Mcgonagall, I'll have the boy's key", the Professor handed the key to the goblin with pinched lips, "and the rest of you follow me." 

The goblin hopped down from his desk and led the group to a room in the back, shutting and locking the door after them. 

"It is truly an honor to meet associates of the Faceless Darke. My name is Gobritter. How may Gringotts help today?" There was a short pause after that before Masky spoke up, clearly taking the lead. 

"Hello Gobritter, this was highly unexpected. I am Masky, this is Hoodie, Jeff, Toby, Sally, BEN, and Jazz. We are here for Jazz who has been invited to attend a school here. There seems to be a problem with his name, however." The Goblin nodded and stared at Jazz a moment before nodding. 

"Yes, I'd imagine so. That is a simple enough problem to fix. I am going to fetch the proper paperwork and supplies, I won't be but a moment, in the meantime the room is warded, do feel free to drop any glamours if it would make you more comfortable." The goblin ducked out a door in the back and the Creeps exchanged looks. A moment later the Goblin was back with a small box clutched to his chest with a small sheaf of papers. 

"The identity is going to be the easiest. Prick your finger on this knife and bleed onto this parchment. There is magic in both that will truthfully reveal your identity, heritage and any past rituals. I don't expect the last one to present itself, but it is there nonetheless. Anything beyond that will depend entirely upon the results." With that the goblin handed the stone knife to Jazz.

Jazz quickly slid the blade of the knife across the back of his wrist spilling a large amount of blood onto the parchment. Everyone in the room leaned forwards to watch as Jazz's blood sank into the parchment and ink began to scrawl elegantly across the parchment. 

_ Name: Jazz Lyra Rogers  _

_ Birth Name: Harry James Potter  _

_ Parents: James Fleamont Potter, Lily Evans Potter _

_ Guardians: Tobias Rogers, Masky, The Slenderman  _

_ Heir to: The Noble house of Potter,  _

_ The Ancient and Noble house of Black,  _

_ The Ancient and Noble house of Peverall,  _

_ The Ancient house of Gryffindor,  _

_ The Ancient house of Slytherin by right of conquest _

_ Rituals: Magical Core bound 75% broken (Albus Dumbledore),  _

_ Parseltongue Ability bound 100% broken (Albus Dumbledore),  _

_ Fire Elemental Ability bound 95% broken (Albus Dumbledore) _

Jazz squinted at the paper before looking up at the goblin quizzically. 

"What does it mean that my core was bound? And what's Parseltongue?" The goblin looked Jazz right in the eyes as he answered. 

"Parseltongue is the magical language of serpents that unfortunately has a poor reputation, I advise you not to shout that from the rooftops. To have your magical core bound is an entirely different matter", Gobritter paused for a deep breath and Jazz had a sinking feeling. 

"Binding a magical core is to lock away a person's magical core. It is dangerous to do to an adult, to bind a child's core is deadly. A child's core is still developing and to bind even twenty percent would cut off your natural healing ability significantly. Thirty percent is enough to kill a child. Mr. Rogers, you are lucky to be alive, you must have a magnificent amount of magic to have both survived that, and broken the Binding on your own." 

After that pronouncement the paperwork went smoothly as if Gobritter could sense precisely how close the Proxies were to losing their collective tempers. Masky was presented with a jingling bag of wizarding money which Gobritter helpfully explained. Mere minutes later the group of silently seething proxies had rejoined Professor Mcgonagall on Gringotts steps.

"Did everything go well then?" 

"Yes. We'll start with books please." Mcgonagall nodded and led the way to a bookstore across the alley with a sign declaring itself Flourish and Blotts. Masky had the group split up to find extra books, both for themselves and for Jazz, in the hope that it would introduce some calm to the group. It worked, though Jeff had disappeared briefly, and when they checked out Professor Mcgonagall shrank their bags for them, before she said she needed to head back to the school. 

After they left the Flourish and Blotts Toby spotted an ice cream shop and suggested they take a break for a lunch of ice cream at Fortescue's. Masky, accosted by the hyper excited duo of Jazz and Sally, agreed tiredly. When the ice cream was gone the group decided to split up to get the day done sooner. Jeff and BEN wandered off to the apothecary to get Jazz's potion supplies as well as magical knives for Jeff most likely. Hoodie and Sally left to get Jazz a school trunk, and Masky, Toby, and Jazz went to get the required school robes. 

Madam Malkin seemed appalled that Jazz was getting his school robes so late, and the shop was empty, but the trip was quick so the group of three wandered next door to the pet store. Magical Menagerie. Masky snorted at the name. 

The store was full of owls, rats, cats, toads, and a small section of hissing snakes in the back corner. Toby went straight for the cats, Masky made his way to the counter to ask the cashier what the owls were for, and Jazz went for the snakes in the back corner. 

There were about seven snakes in totals, all in separate tanks. Jazz was particularly drawn to a black snake at the bottom with vivid red swirls, like flickering flames embedded that were into her scales.

_ '~Hello~'  _ Jazz hissed at her. He'd known for a while that he could talk to snakes, he just hadn't known it was an entire language. 

_ '~Greetings Speaker-child~'  _ The snake uncoiled and stared unblinking at Jazz. The various other snakes all began hissing loudly at Jazz, clamoring to be chosen. He ignored them all.

_'~What are you?~'_ The snake's tongue flicked.

_ '~A snake, for one, but my breed is a crossbreed between an ashwinder, a boomslang, and an asp. It is why I have not been bought. Wizards put so much stock into blood.~' _ Jazz frowned. She was beautiful, what did blood matter?

_ '~I will take you then. What is your name?~' _ She let out a hissy sort of laugh.

_ '~I do not have one.~' _ Jazz considered that for a moment. 

_ '~May I give you one?~' _ She watched him.

_ '~Yes.~' _ Jazz thought for a moment.

_ '~Would you accept Fia? It means Fire.~' _ She hissed, pleased, and bobbed slightly. 

_ '~It is well chosen. And your name, speaker?~' _ Fia was weaving slightly in front of Jazz's face, her fangs glinting.

_ '~Jazz.~'  _

_ '~Hello Jazz. I am your new familiar Fia.~' _

_ '~Hello Fia.~'  _ Jazz opened the top of her tank and Fia slithered up his arm and perched on his shoulders, her green eyes staring imperiously at the rest of the shop. Jazz went back to the counter where Masky still stood. 

"Masky, this is Fia. I'm getting her." Masky didn't even turn around. 

"Jazz, we're already getting an owl, put her back." Jazz rolled his eyes. 

"Fia's not an owl. Also, why are we getting an owl?" 

"Apparently the owls are mail carriers, and it's the only way for us to be able to contact you. If this Fia isn't an owl, then what is she? Because I can tell you right now that you're not getting a cat."

"Snake. Fia's a snake." Masky paused in his coin counting to look at Jazz. 

"Right. Ok. Snake it is. It's going to be awesome watching Jeff's reaction to that. He's absolutely terrified of snakes." Jazz grinned and Toby burst out laughing. 

The proxies reconvened in front of Ollivander's wand shop. Jazz just went in with Masky and Toby, but everyone else was plastered to the windows watching. Even Hoodie, although he was much more subtle about it. 

In short order Mr. Ollivander was handing wands to Jazz and snatching them back just as quickly. After the forty-seventh wand everyone was getting annoyed. 

"Excuse me, Mr. Ollivander, but is there a way to speed this up? A custom made wand perhaps, or something of the like?" Masky's voice was sharp and waspish and Mr. Ollivander winced slightly.

"Ye-es, there is, but it's expensive and would take longer to get to you. You'd be out of here quickly though."

"Fine. Do it." Masky leaned back against the wall in complete exasperation. Mr. Ollivander scuttled off into the back before poking his head back out to gesture at Jazz to come with him.

Jazz followed him back into a room humming with magic so thick that Jazz could see it curling in the air like heat waves. Toby, who had followed him back, was gaping at the walls which were covered in softly glowing runes that were pulsing and shifting. The entire room seemed alive.

"Here. Close your eyes and feel whichever one calls to you and pull it out." Mr. Ollivander led Jazz to a shallow bin full of large roughly hewn chunks of wood. Jazz reached in his eyes closed and tried to find the one that hummed best.

"These." There were two chunks of wood grasped in his hand that almost seemed to curl around each other while staying perfectly straight. The first was a soft yellowed white shot through with red streaks and whorls. The second was a vibrant yellow orange. 

"Ah. Elder and Yew. This will be quite the powerful wand. Now for the wand core you'll do the same thing over here. Whichever one calls you, young master Proxy." By the door Toby jerked to attention and Jazz stared wide eyed at Mr. Ollivander. 

"I have a touch of the Sight. It runs in my family. Pick your core, please." Jazz turned back to the bin of small softly glowing silver orbs and shut his eyes as he reached in. He pulled out two orbs.

"Thestral hair and Basilisk Venom. Remarkable. This will possibly be the best wand I've ever made. Dearie me." Jazz glanced at Toby and he shrugged helplessly. 

"I'll send an owl with your wand in a week or so, goodbye, farewell young Proxies", Ollivander had been ushering them out as he spoke and Masky looked alarmed at the title, "Yes, yes, a powerful wand indeed, Safe travels, and do tell the Faceless Darke that I said hello, wouldn't you? Goodbye." 

With that final word he swung the door shut behind them. The lock clicked and the group of Proxies heard a distinctly manic cackle from inside. Jeff broke the tentative silence. 

"What the actual hell?"

  
  
  


**(X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)**

  
  
  


The group of proxies arrived back at Slenderman's Manor around one in the afternoon. BEN, Sally, and Jazz ran off upstairs to poke at the various purchases while the other four made their way to the kitchen. LJ, EJ, and Helen sat at the table surrounded by various books that said Harry Potter on the front. LJ was still paging through one looking appalled. 

"We need to talk." Helen and EJ spoke at the same time and Toby looked worriedly at the books.


End file.
